|
Dear Parents,
While there won't be a seed-spitting contest in the gym, this week promises many fun, wacky, and innovative activities that focus on summer time fruit...especially the watermelon!
Students continue their work with shape recognition as instructors lead them in a song about round watermelons ripening on the vines. Each child will also turn a half-circle of paper into a slice of watermelon by adding green tape for the rind, red paint for the delicious flesh, and little black hole punches for seeds.
One of the areas of focus in the gym this week will be balance. As always, our gym circuit encourages exploratory play with a series of mats to climb over, under, through, and across. It is this type of physical exploration that leads to body awareness and coordination development.
A recent article in Child magazine suggests that balance is connected, not just to physical function, but to mental function as well. Practicing body control at a young age will bolster confidence and provide a strong foundation for continuous development. "If you use half your mental energy to control balance, you have only the other half to process information," explains Dr. Harriet William, PhD, a professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. "But if you have to use only one tenth of that energy for postural control, then 90% is available for cognitive things."
The New York Kids Club firmly believes that children succeed in a structured and nurturing environment. Within that environment, we provide the opportunity for each child to build confidence by facing physical challenges and performing creative tasks.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me share your experiences or to ask any questions. We look forward to sharing another exciting week of fun and discovery with your child!
Sincerely,
 Gair Morris Director
| 
